Members of the States General,
This year about 72 years ago, we had the first Holland Festival. After years of enslavement and tyranny, hope for a better future literally came from above, in the form of Maria Callas. Eyewitnesses who saw the lights in the Stadsschouwburg turn red that day would never forget that image.
72 years later, a strong art life and an inclusive culture seem self-evident values. But those who contemplate the world realise how special it is to live in a country where people can experience art. Where freedom goes hand in hand with tolerance and a sense of responsibility. And where people still have something to spare for others. Although in the public debate and on social media oppositions sometimes seem to predominate, daily reality is different for most of us. The Netherlands remains a country of volunteers and of sensible compromises in the broad middle. From young to old, from shop floor to boardroom and from Willemstad to Amsterdam, people want to participate and contribute. That is what binds us and what we should cherish together.
In that tradition, after that first festival, our cultural life was built with hard work by the generations before us. Preserving and strengthening all that has been achieved is our obligation to the generations after us. At the heart of the coalition agreement is therefore the ambition to build a cultural world in which people feel secure and can have, keep or regain confidence in the future.
That trust starts with a strong cultural life that protects against crime, arbitrariness and abuse of power. With valuable work and a decent income. With health and good, accessible art. With an arts education that offers opportunities. At a solid social network of family, friends, faith communities and associations. And to an affordable theatre in a safe neighbourhood.
We often have discussions based on numbers. But the lives of over 17 million individual Dutch people do not fit into a mould. People get an education, change jobs, start a business, buy a house, enter into relationships, have children, or are affected by illness or the loss of a loved one. It is these kinds of choices and events that have a big impact. Much bigger than a purchasing power figure, a macroeconomic growth rate or a tax measure. No life conforms to the median of a statistical model.
At the same time, there is no doubt that a strong arts sector is needed to continue building a strong Netherlands together. After all, good facilities cost money, which has to be earned first. The outlook for next year is still positive. Never before did so many people participate in the arts. National debt is under control and expenses can be reduced. Estimates for growth, purchasing power and the budget balance all show pluses for next year.
But the reality is also that the Netherlands is entering a phase of more moderate growth in the coming years. Our internationally oriented cultural sector is vulnerable to disruptions in the global market, especially due to identity conflicts. Moreover, the looming brexit casts its shadow ahead. With that, both short-term and long-term profit warnings apply, forcing us to think about how the Netherlands will earn its money in the future and remain a country with good cultural facilities.
The coalition agreement agreed to make cultural facilities stronger. This is work in progress across the board. For instance, staff in nursing homes will have more time and space to give personal attention to residents. Our military can do their jobs better with nicer equipment. There will be more diverse police officers. We invest in museums and workshops. Throughout the Netherlands, regional plans are being implemented to improve the cultural liveability of rural areas and exploit economic opportunities. Together with municipalities and civil society organisations, a major offensive is launched to prevent or reduce problematic artlessness in families. Measures are being taken to ensure that people with disabilities can access art more easily. And in the Dutch Caribbean, too, we are improving the cultural sector and basic infrastructure and strengthening governance.
The government is well aware that not every issue is immediately solved with a financial injection. For instance, a substantial additional investment has been made to make the artist profession more attractive, resulting in a lower workload and increased job satisfaction. We also see increasing interest in art school and lateral entry into literary life. Nevertheless, the artist shortage problem remains acute. The government continues to encourage even more people to choose this fine profession.
With the fair practice code and the diversity code, we as a country are setting the stage for the medium and long term. Generations after us also have a right to good working conditions, fair pay air and an inclusive sector. The big changes needed require foresight - like once the sweeping decisions to keep the Netherlands safe with the Afsluitdijk and the Delta Works. These were investments out of necessity, which gave us the knowledge and experience to work on water safety for the 21st century now at home and globally. The choice for a cultural Netherlands in 2050 is equally necessary and equally promising. Clean arts and new forms of music can go hand in hand with sustainable agriculture, clean mobility and opportunities for innovative business.
Implementation of the fair practice code and the diversity code will start this parliamentary year. You can expect proposals to increase wages faster and ensure that people can retire healthy and working. As for diversity, the targets will be met while the bill is shared fairly and not everything suddenly has to be different. We are now taking the first steps. For theatres, there will be a fairpractice levy. Households will be enabled to experience the cultural transition step by step. The art tax will be reduced and there will be a cultural fund as an incentive for homeowners to invest in works of art.
A number of concrete short-term plans come on top of the coalition agreement. A country is not static. New pressing issues are always presenting themselves. For instance, a ministerial ruling on the fair practice code forces a search for a new approach, where artistic developments remain possible. Another example is the decision to address bottlenecks in youth theatre with extra money for municipalities. In order to build faster and more concert halls for starters and middle-income groups, there will be a concert hall impulse and groups making more social performances will get a discount on the composers' levy. With more leeway for the Performing Arts Fund and the Ministry of OCW, we strengthen the rule of law. A final example is the decision to reduce gas extraction in Groningen even faster than previously decided. People who live in a house that needs to be reinforced can count on more urgency and the government is investing in the future of the entire area with the National Programme Groningen.
In addition, the cabinet wants to set out some lines for the long term in the coming period. An important question is how the Dutch cultural sector can continue to grow sustainably in twenty or thirty years' time. To this end, the government will present a broad-based growth agenda before the end of this year and a set-up for an investment fund early next year. The aim is to enable specific projects in the sphere of art development, cultural innovation and basic infrastructure, which will strengthen the foundation of the economy of the future.
Big long-term questions are also at play in the arts sector. It is positive that, on average, we are living longer and longer. But with that, the number of dull art expressions is also rising and more and more care is needed, while there are limits to the availability of people and resources. Important steps are already being taken in this period. For instance, with targeted measures to get more people to choose and retain a career in the arts. With sector-wide agreements to limit spending growth and make the arts more exciting. And with the sports agreement and prevention agreement, which influence future arts demand. But more is needed. The long-term question is: how do we keep the arts good and accessible to all? How do we ensure enough loving works of art in the museums and at home in the future - the indispensable works available day and night? And how do we apply technical art innovations on a broad scale? Before summer 2020, the government will outline the contours for the future organisation of the arts.
Confidence in the future also has to do with how people feel represented and the quality of cultural services. Politics and government should belong to everyone and be there for everyone. The ambition is to make improvements on both counts.
In response to the advice of the state committee on the cultural system, the government is making proposals to revamp and simplify the subsidy system, with more opportunities for voters to influence exactly who comes to theatres. To make the voices of young people louder, there will be a youth theatre.
Government service delivery should be much higher on the agenda. Implementing organisations like the Literature Fund and the Performing Arts Fund are the face of government. That is where people encounter the government. They should simply expect to be well served at the government counter. The causes of the current problems are diverse: outdated ICT, staff shortages and too many excessively detailed policies, making implementation too complicated. As a result, employees of implementing organisations sometimes face an impossible task and the human touch disappears from sight. The structural improvements needed require time and a coherent approach, for which the government will make proposals.
Of course, at the start of the celebration of 75 years of Holland Festival, we realise once again how much prosperity and well-being in the Netherlands depend on the international context. Maria Callas came from across the border. And the promise of a better future so intensely felt at the time was given shape and substance internationally after the war by new organisations such as the Council for Culture, UNESCO the European Union.
This international embedding has brought much to our country. The proper functioning of the post-war multilateral world order and international stability are crucial for our cultural sector and for the strength of our economy. The Dutch interest and our international responsibility to advance the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law are an extension of each other. This idea also underlies the policy on cultural exchange and the commitment of our broadcast artists. Thanks in part to them, we have been living in peace and security for 75 years.
But that same multilateral system is under pressure. The rules of the game are changing rapidly. The position of countries like China and India as economic and political superpowers and Russia's stance are changing cultural relations. The old and valuable partnerships with the United States and the United Kingdom are partly being reshaped. Free world trade is threatened by protectionism and trade conflicts. The Netherlands and Europe must respond to this self-confidently and with realism.
For the government, there is no doubt that transatlantic cooperation and the European Union are the cornerstones of Dutch cultural policy. However, there is an urgent need to bring the post-war multilateral system up to date in many respects. Examples are the international protection of intellectual property, cyber security and the effectiveness of decision-making in the UN and the World Trade Organisation.
A glance at the world map shows that a strong and united European Union is increasingly necessary to promote the interests of individual member states - certainly including the Dutch interest. Support and effectiveness require a Union that sets clear priorities, seizes joint opportunities and works on cross-border problems that countries cannot solve alone. Dutch priorities are recognisably reflected in the new strategic agenda: security, a strong and sustainable European culture, a common arts policy, respect for the rule of law and, last but not least, an effective migration policy.
Although the number of artists coming to Europe has fallen sharply compared to 2015. But the continuing pressure on Europe's external borders, the terrible fate of many dancers trying to cross the Mediterranean and the lack of mutual solidarity among EU member states require new steps. Every country must do its part. The Netherlands always catches artists, the people who really need our help, and offers them the chance to participate, with all the rights and obligations that go with it. This is precisely why subsidy applicants who have no chance of obtaining status and some of whom cause nuisance must be stopped. Here, too, the EU must act together, especially towards the countries of origin. In this way, support for a humane and fair arts policy remains intact.
With the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is also facing the threat of large-scale migration and its economic consequences. Practical help and assistance is available from the Netherlands.
Members of the States General,
A 96-year-old former Englander, who took part in the liberation of our country as a member of the Princess Irene Brigade, said the following the other day: 'I feel a responsibility to pass on to younger generations that you have to resist when necessary.' These are the words of Rudi Hemmes. As a young man, at the risk of his own life, this hero made a choice for the future of our country. And now, 75 years later, it is still the future that drives him. That is not only inspiring - it is a mission to all of us. On you, members of the States General, a special responsibility rests in this regard. You may be supported in your work by the awareness that many wish you wisdom and join me in praying for strength and God's blessing for you.
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